It says volumes that Cloke is the most popular of the group, owned by 23,015 coaches - just 8 per cent. Jack Riewoldt is in three times more teams than cousin Nick. How times have changed.

But they showed they weren't ready to be forgotten. They were performances that planted a seed that says, "Can I slip this guy in as a point of difference later on?"

What about Higgins? Here is a bloke who has been injured so many times, he's been more Missy than Shaun.

That may sound harsh, but hell hath no fury like a coach scorned. The Bulldog is in less than 1 per cent of teams.

And yet he played like we have always envisaged he could, unleashing his talent to dizzying effect against Brisbane Lions.

Cloke finally signing a new deal may be the best thing to happen to his SuperCoach owners. What that means for the soon-to-be out of contract Lance Franklin - angry and distracted against Geelong - is worrying for Buddy's 118,162 coaches.

Then there is Goldstein, who was so out of favour in the pre-season, some wondered whether he was still on the list. Big Goldy had 38 hitouts in a manhandling of Darren Jolly.

Sam Edmund is a panellist on The SuperCoach Show on Thursday nights on Fox Footy.

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